WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar is slightly weaker after Chinese stocks tumbled and another rocky session for oil prices.
At 0630 AEDT on Wednesday, the local unit was trading at 70.13 US cents, down slightly from 70.17 cents on Monday. Australian markets were closed on Tuesday for the Australia Day public holiday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open higher following positive leads from Wall Street and Europe, which gained despite an earlier six per cent plunge in China stocks.
At 0645 AEDT on Wednesday, the share price futures index was up 38 points at 4,941.
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NEW YORK - US consumer confidence improved in January despite a stock market rout, and house prices accelerated in November, suggesting underlying strength in the economy despite a sharp growth slowdown in recent months.
WASHINGTON - US home prices increased at a faster clip in November, the gains fuelled by solid hiring growth, historically low mortgage rates and a shortage of houses on the market.
NEW YORK - JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay $US1.42 billion ($A2.02 billion) to settle allegations that it withheld critical funds from Lehman Brothers in the final days leading up to Lehman's collapse during the financial crisis.
NEW YORK - Weight Watchers stock is gaining again, thanks to Oprah Winfrey's weight loss.
NEW YORK - Johnson & Johnson, despite a tough year of falling revenue, has posted a 27.6 per cent increase in fourth-quarter profit, as a big one-time gain offset restructuring and other charges taken by the healthcare bellwether.
CINCINNATI - Procter & Gamble Co have reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $US3.21 billion ($A4.60 billion).
WILMINGTON, Delaware - DuPont Co has reported a fourth-quarter loss of $US253 million ($A362.52 million), after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier.
